"Nor did the British in the War of 1812. They got it away from us just as they got it away from the French years ago. But after that war was ended it came back to us and nobody has been able to lay hands on it since." "You stay there all winter?" inquired the host, turning to the mate as he spoke. "I do that." "I guess it's pretty cold," suggested Fred. "You don't need to 'guess' and you don't need to say 'pretty.' It's just cold. It's so cold that when you toss an egg up into the air it just freezes and stays there." "It couldn't stay there," said John. "Why couldn't it?" declared the mate. "I guess I know what I am talking about." "Why, the attraction of gravitation would pull it to the ground." "That's all right," roared the mate, "but the attraction of gravitation is frozen too. Yes, I've seen with my own eyes eggs staying right up in the air and the air itself all froze up and the attraction of gravitation froze too." "That must be a great sight," laughed Fred. "It is, and you can't see it anywhere except on Mackinac Island." "What do you do with yourself all winter?" demanded John. "Get ready for summer." "And then when summer comes you work all the while getting ready for the winter, don't you?" "Yes, that's just it," acknowledged the sailor soberly. "It just seems as if all the time nobody had a chance to live, but he just plans to get ready for it." As the conversation continued John became more and more thoughtful and silent. Several times he had been startled by sounds which he had heard in the room directly above that in which they were assembled. Twice he suspected that some one had come to the head of the rude little stairway and was listening to the sounds of conversation below. On each occasion it had seemed to him that he had heard the sound of a rustle of a woman's dress. But of all this he could not be certain and even if his surmise had been correct he had no reason to be more suspicious of their host. Indeed his suspicions might not have been aroused had not he intercepted a look which the man gave his Japanese servant, which caused the latter quickly to go to the head of the stairway. John was deeply interested and striving to appear indifferent watched keenly the face of the Japanese when the latter returned to the room and was positive that he saw the little, brown man shake his head slightly in response to a question in the eyes of his employer. Such actions might be entirely natural, and John tried to assure himself that there was no cause for his increasing suspicions that something was not right in the strange house on the shores of Cockburn Island. He had no opportunity to explain his suspicions to Fred, however, for just then the sailor said, "It is time for us to go back and keep a lookout for the _Gadabout_." Acting at once upon his suggestions the two boys arose from their seats.